Martin Patterson "Pat" Hingle (July 19, 1924 – January 3, 2009) was an American actor, who appeared in hundreds of television shows and feature films. His first film was On The Waterfront in 1954. He often played tough authority figures. Hingle was a close friend of Clint Eastwood, and appeared in three Eastwood films, Hang 'em High, The Gauntlet, and Sudden Impact.

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Early life

Martin Patterson Hingle was born in Miami, Florida (some sources say Denver, Colorado), the son of Marvin Louise (née Patterson), a schoolteacher and musician, and Clarence Martin Hingle, a building contractor.[2] Hingle enlisted in the United States Navy in December 1941, dropping out of the University of Texas. He served on the destroyer USS Marshall during World War II. He returned to the University of Texas after the war and earned a degree in radio broadcasting in 1949. As a Navy Reservist, he was recalled to the service during the Korean War and served on the escort destroyer USS Damato.[1]

Acting career

Hingle began acting in college, and after graduating, he moved to New York and studied at the American Theater Wing. In 1952, he became a member of the Actors Studio. This led to his first Broadway show, End as a Man.[3]

Hingle's first film role was an uncredited part as bartender Jock in On the Waterfront (1954). Later in his career, he was known for playing judges, police officers, and other authority figures. He was a guest star on the early NBClegal dramaJustice, based on case histories of the Legal Aid Society of New York, which aired in the 1950s.[4]

In November 2007, he created the Pat Hingle Guest Artist Endowment to enable students to work with visiting professional actors at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.[3]

Personal life

Hingle married Alyce Faye Dorsey on June 3, 1947. They had children Jody, Billy and Molly. The couple later divorced. In 1979 Hingle married Julia Wright. He and his second wife had two children.[2]

Accident

In 1960, he was offered the title role in Elmer Gantry, but Burt Lancaster filled the part, because Hingle had a nearly fatal accident. He was trapped in the elevator of his West End Avenue apartment building, when it stalled between the second and third floors. He crawled out and tried to reach the second floor corridor, but lost his balance and fell fifty-four feet down the shaft. He fractured his skull, wrist, hip, and most of the ribs on his left side. He broke his left leg in three places and lost the little finger on his left hand.[6] He lay near death for two weeks, and his recovery required more than a year.